IMA Endorses Accounting Programs at Michigan State University and Brigham Young University

Montvale, N.J., December
18, 2013 –IMA® (Institute of Management Accountants) has
endorsed two additional undergraduate accounting programs as part of its
initiative to recognize degrees that meet the educational standards enabling
students to pursue the Certified Management Accountant (CMA®)
credential. The programs at Michigan State University and Brigham Young
University are the latest to be recognized by IMA, joining Pennsylvania State
University and Washington State University Vancouver that were previously endorsed.

Higher education programs seeking endorsement
by IMA must substantially cover the material on the CMA exam, have adequate
faculty resources, be accredited by a recognized accreditation organization and
have a faculty member designated as an IMA Campus Advocate. The Campus Advocate
program helps professors demonstrate their commitment to the future of the
accounting profession by mentoring students and encouraging CMA certification.

To become a Campus Advocate, academics are required to: (1) receive and
disseminate IMA/CMA marketing materials; (2) promote IMA benefits, student
membership, the formation of student chapters and the CMA credential; (3) invite
managerial finance and accounting practitioners to speak on campus; and (4)
leverage IMA resources to advance the relevancy of the accounting curriculum. Detailed information about
becoming an IMA Campus Advocate can be found on IMA’s website at http://www.imanet.org/resources_and_publications/CampusAdvocate.aspx.

“IMA is pleased to announce the endorsements
of Michigan State University and Brigham Young University,” said Dr. Raef Lawson,
CMA, CPA, CFP, CFA, IMA vice president of research and
professor-in-residence. “Educational programs that are aligned with the needs
of business are crucial in addressing the competency crisis in the accounting
profession. IMA encourages other universities to open the channels of
communication between higher education and finance professionals by joining the
IMA Campus Advocate program and seeking IMA endorsement.”

The endorsement program offers two tiers of recognition:
full endorsement, for those university programs that meet all endorsement
criteria; and provisional endorsement, for programs with some minor to moderate
shortcomings in meeting all the criteria for full endorsement.

For complete
information and application forms for IMA’s endorsement program, visit: www.imanet.org/educator_resources/index.aspx.About IMA®
(Institute of Management Accountants)IMA®,
the association of accountants and financial professionals in business, is one
of the largest and most respected associations focused exclusively on advancing
the management accounting profession. Globally, IMA supports the profession
through research, the CMA® (Certified
Management Accountant) program, continuing education, networking and advocacy
of the highest ethical business practices. IMA has a global network of more 20,000
CMA members in more than 100 countries and 300 local professional and student chapters.
IMA provides localized services through its offices in Montvale, N.J., USA;
Zurich, Switzerland; Dubai, UAE; and Beijing, China. For more information about
IMA, please visit www.imanet.org.